Inflatable dunnage bags are commonly used to stabilize cargo during transportation of cargo containers (such as railroad cars and semi-trailers), which improves safety and reduces the likelihood of damage to the cargo. Generally, after some or all of the cargo is loaded into a cargo container, one or more dunnage bags are positioned in any voids or spaces between the cargo and/or between the cargo and the walls of the cargo container. The dunnage bags are inflated to a designated operating pressure using a pneumatic source. In most known implementations in the load securement industry, a pneumatic compressor is employed as the pneumatic source. This pneumatic compressor is typically a large-scale, stationary pneumatic compressor centrally located in the warehouse or factory from which the cargo is being transported.
The dunnage bags may be inflated and positioned in the voids or spaces either after all of the cargo has been loaded into the cargo container or intermittently during loading, such as after each piece of cargo is loaded. In the latter instances, the user loads some of the cargo into the cargo container using as cargo mover (such as a forklift truck or a pallet jack), inflates one or more dunnage bags, positions the dunnage bags in any voids or spaces surrounding that cargo, and repeats the process for additional cargo until all of the cargo is loaded and all of the dunnage bags are inflated and positioned.
One way in which users may inflate the dunnage bags is by inflating the dunnage bags within the cargo container itself (i.e., at point-of-use) using the stationary pneumatic compressor. In these cases, the user locates a compressed air hose connected to the stationary pneumatic compressor and brings the compressed air hose into the cargo container. The user then inflates the dunnage bags using the compressed air hose (and an appropriate inflator tool) and positions the inflated dunnage bags in the void(s) or space(s).
Various problems arise in these instances. Because the compressed air hose is typically stored at the stationary pneumatic compressor, it is time consuming for the user to travel to retrieve the compressed air hose whenever the user desires to inflate a dunnage bag. Since the compressed air hose has a finite length, in some instances the compressed aft hose may be too short to reach the cargo container and, therefore, the stationary pneumatic compressor is not able to deliver the compressed air at the point-of-use to inflate the dunnage bag(s). In other words, in these instances, there is no way to route the compressed air from the stationary pneumatic compressor to the dunnage bag(s) to inflate the dunnage bag(s) and, therefore, more time-consuming, less environmentally friendly, and more expensive solutions must be employed (such as alternatives to dunnage bags or the alternative inflation process described below).
Additionally, the long compressed air hose itself can be problematic as it is likely to snag, rip, or cause a tripping hazard within the warehouse or factory. Further, since the stationary pneumatic compressor by definition employs compressed air to fill the dunnage bag(s), one must pay for the energy to manufacture the compressed air, pay to store and maintain the compressed air, pay for floor space to store the pneumatic compressor itself, and pay for any required maintenance when the pneumatic compressor breaks down. Additionally, in instances in which the user desires to inflate and position dunnage bags intermittently during loading of the cargo, the user must repeatedly bring the compressed air hose back and forth into and out of the cargo container to ensure that the compressed air hose does not interfere with the loading of the cargo, which adds substantial time to the cargo loading process.
Another (less frequently used) way in which users may inflate the dunnage bags is by inflating the dunnage bags at the stationary pneumatic compressor itself. In these instances, after loading some or all of the cargo into the cargo container, the user brings deflated dunnage bags to the stationary pneumatic compressor. The user inflates the dunnage bags to the designated operating pressure using the stationary pneumatic compressor. The user then brings the inflated dunnage bags back to the cargo container and positions the inflated dunnage bags in the void(s) or space(s).
Various problems arise in these instances as well. Since the stationary pneumatic compressor is typically located relatively far from the cargo loading zone, it is time consuming for the user to travel back and forth to the stationary pneumatic compressor whenever the user desires to inflate a dunnage bag. Additionally, the fact that the user is not near the cargo container when the user is inflating the dunnage bags makes it difficult for the user to inflate the dunnage bags to the correct size, and requires the user to deflate and re-inflate incorrectly filled dunnage bags. Further, as noted above, since the stationary pneumatic compressor by definition employs compressed air to fill the dunnage bag(s), one must pay for the energy to manufacture the compressed air, pay to store and maintain the compressed air, pay for floor space to store the pneumatic compressor itself, and pay for any required maintenance when the pneumatic compressor breaks down. Additionally, in instances in which the user desires to inflate and position dunnage bags intermittently during loading of the cargo, the user must repeatedly bring the dunnage bags back and forth to the stationary pneumatic compressor to inflate them, which adds substantial time to the cargo loading process.
Accordingly, there is a need for a new and improved apparatus for inflating dunnage bags that solves these problems.